Wire belt or apron.



No. 766,742. PATENTED AUG. 2, 1904.

C. SWINSCOB.

WIRE BELT 0R APRON.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII oT. 7. 1901.

OOOOOO L.

UNITED STATES Patented August 2, 1904.

PATENT CEETCE.

WIRE BELT OR APRON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 766,742, dated August 2, 1904.

Application filed October 7, 1901. Serial No. 77,786. lNo model.)

To rtl/Z whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES SwINscon, of Clinton, in the county of rorcester and State of h'iassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tire Belts or Aprons, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wire belts or aprons, which are made of relatively large size; and it has for its object to provide simple and relatively inexpensive means for preventing the distortion of the edge portions of such belts.

The invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

The accompanying' drawing, forminga part of this specification, represents a plan View of a portion of a wire belt or apron embodying' my invention.

The wire belt here illustrated is composed of helically twisted or coiled wire members extending crosswise of the belt, each member having a plurality of convolutions, of which I l represent the outer portions, and 3 3 the inner portions. The said convolutions are inter-engaged or interwoven, as represented in the drawing, to form a wire fabric, and the ends of the members are bent to form loops or eyes 4 4, which are intel-engaged to form selvages.

The structure thus far described is common and well known.

In large belts or aprons of this character, designed to run on drums or pulleys, difficulty is experienced in keeping in place the edge portions of the belt formed by the interengaged ends of the helical members. Said members have a tendency to twist independently, particularly when the belt is being' handled, this and other causes making it highly desirable to provide some means for conlining the said edge portions and holding' their component parts in alinement. The tendency of the members to twist independently is due to the fact that since each member is spirally twisted and the several members intel-engaged they have practically a hinged connection, with each other, so that when the belt or apron is not under tension an individual member is liable to oscillate on such hinged connection, and such oscillation results in an endwise movement of thatmembcr relatively to the next one because of the members being spirally twisted. To prevent such spirally-twisted members from Yhaving such oscillating movement relative to each other as would tend to kink the belt or apron, I provide means which will prevent the relative endwise movement. Preventing relative endwise movement of the members will necessarily prevent such an amount of movement of the members relatively to each other at their hinged connections as would permit the members to become kinked. To this end binding-strips of leather or other flexible material have been folded over the edges of the belt, the said binding-strips being secured to the belt and overlapping the outer and inner surfaces of the belt adjacent to the edges. This form of edge-confiner is objectionable, however, because it is expensive, not sufciently durable, and makes the edges of the belt undesirably thick and clumsy.

In carrying out my invention I substitute for the folded binding-strips heretofore used flexible cords or ligatures 2 Q, which may be of wire, textile fabric, or any other suitable material. These cords or ligatures are threaded through the edge portions of the belt and extend lengthwise of the belt substantially parallel with the edges thereof and prevent material movements of the members relatively to each other, while still permitting the belt or apron to possess as a whole the necessary amount of flexibility. The cords are preferably interposed betwcen the outer portions l and the inner portions 3 of the end convolutions of the helical wire members, so that they are retained in place by said convolutions and require no additional fastening' or securing means. It will be seen that the said cords prevent any material independent displacement of the end portions of the wire members in any direction, so that they effectually hold the edges of the belt in place.

It will be understood that the wire fabric is or may be formed into an endless belt and that the ends of the cords or ligatures 2 are or may be connected to make the cords endless or continuous.

I do not limit myself to the structure of the IOO wire fabric here shown, as the members of said fabric may be otherwise interwoven without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claiml. A wire-fabric belt or apron composed of separate wire strands spirally twisted and eX- l tending crosswise of the belt and having their convolutions interengaged whereby they have practically a hinged connection with each other, and longitudinal iieXible cords or ligatures threaded through the convolutions at the selvage portions of the belt to prevent material endwise movements of the members relatively to each other.

2. A wire-fabric belt or apron composed of separate wire strands spirally twisted and eX- tending crosswise of the belt and having their convolutions interengaged whereby they have- CHARLES swiNscoE.

Witnesses:

A. D. HARRISON, P. W. PEZZETTI. 

